Mandy Moore is returning to music and here is a reminder that she was a pop singer before becoming a TV star
We've been missing Mandy Moore like candy.
This week started with an announcement that she is returning to music and there's "no more excuses." The actress who made us cry our hearts out in 'A Walk to Remember' commanded our happiness when she took to her Instagram to announce her reentry into the world of music. Sharing a rather soothing tune, she captioned; “Getting back to it. It’s time. I miss it. I’m not scared anymore. No more excuses. No more allowing someone’s else insecurities to dictate my relationship to music and singing. Boom.”
Her return to music in 2018 comes after a decade of absence from the industry. A rising pop star and a prominent actress of the '90s, she disappeared from the surface of Hollywood especially after getting married to indie rocker, Ryan Adams, in a secret ceremony in 2009. The couple was extremely private about their relationship and never had the time for personal questions when it came to the press. In 2015, the pair filed for divorce and officially split in 2016. At that time she started dating Taylor Goldsmith, who sparked her interest in music again.
"I miss music. For the last year or so, hanging out in this world again has ignited that part of my brain. Things finally feel like they're falling into place. I'm not going to let anybody or anything hold me back anymore," she said in an interview with Daily Mail.
As one of America's sweethearts and a songstress, her reemergence into the world of music is nothing short of good news. As she heads to make it big, here's a timeline of her music career.
The story of her discovery dates back to when she was only 13 years old. The legend has it that a FedEx delivery person overheard her singing and passed the demo to a friend at Sony Music and other reports suggest that she was spotted singing in a studio by a representative for Epic Records. However, while still a student at Orlando’s Bishop Moore High School, Mandy secured a contract with Sony’s Epic Records label.
Mandy entered the music scene almost 20 years ago with her debut album titled 'So Real,' which featured her massive hit track 'Candy,' that turned into a Platinum album. In 1999, she even toured with N’Sync to promote her first single and the very same year she released 'I Wanna Be With You' that set the theme of '00s teen pop music. The song 'Candy' peaked at #41 in Billboards top 100 in 1999, while 'I Wanna Be With You' scaled at #24 in 2000, her highest till date.
The following year, she released her self-titled third studio album, heavily influenced by pop rock and Middle Eastern music. Her album turned gold debuting at #35 on the Billboard 200. However, her highest peaking album to date is 'Coverage,' her fourth studio album and her first cover album, released in 2003. The album was a cover of songs from the 1980s and 1990s featuring John Hiatt's 'Have a Little Faith in Me' and it ranked #14 on the Billboard 200 chart.
In 2004, Sony and Mandy parted ways citing creative differences and instantly released a compilation album, 'The Best of Mandy Moore.' After two years of music independency, Mandy signed a record deal with The Firm, a record label run by EMI in 2006. From The Firm, she released her fifth studio album, 'Wild Hope,' in 2007. This collection was unlike the prior bubbly Mandy and the genre focused on folk and acoustic music. The album peaked at #30 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Following her marriage, Mandy released her sixth studio album, 'Amanda Leigh', through Storefront Recordings. The music of the album echoed the style of 'Wild Hope,' which proved unsuccessful for the singer. At the same time, she was compared and pitted against reigning pop stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera and Mandy, sadly, could not match up.
Had she continued in the path, we are sure she would have bagged a Grammy by now.
But in 2001, she branched out into acting, with a supporting role in 'The Princess Diaries' starring Anne Hathaway and a lead role in the teen romance 'A Walk To Remember' in 2002, starring opposite Shane West. Juggling acting and music, in her later years, she focused on the former bagging roles alongside Hugh Grant, Diane Keaton and even Robin Williams.
When in 2010, her music career had taken a backseat, a breakthrough came in the form of Disney's animated hit 'Tangled,' where she voiced the lead character of Rapunzel. Her singing talents came to the fore and just last year, she reprised the same role for the TV version of the same animated film. In her rather non-active years, she still pursued acting and even received a nomination for Golden Globe with her portrayal of Rebecca Pearson in NBC's family drama 'This Is Us.'
The 34-year-old actress has impressive wins and nominations for her acting but there is more to conquer in the music world. Mandy had a tough time battling critics who called her music the "bubblegum pop." With her self-titled album 'Mandy Moore,' she tried to depart from the sound and took an R&B route. At that time, she was only seventeen. In 2016's interview, she said that she had been steadily working on music and hoped 2016 would be her "re-emergence" year. "That side of my life has been dormant for too long in my opinion. I was kind of nesting and taking a break in my life since I had started working at such a young age," she stated. But, better late than never.
Now, with the current teaser shared on her Instagram, her music is nothing pop rock or bubblegum sweet, it is a soothing melody, a far cry from 'Candy.' Fans flooded the comment section of her post excited by the prospect of her being in the studio again. If Mandy does end up releasing a new album, it would be her first in almost a decade and that's enough news to make a 90s kid succumb to nostalgia.